Toronto will host World Pride 2014 after beating out Stockholm with a 78 per cent margin of victory in a vote at the InterPride 2009 Conference in Florida yesterday. "We are delighted to have been awarded this opportunity to bring the world to Toronto," Mark Singh, chair of the World Pride committee, said in a statement. "In this exceptionally diverse city, the advent of a festival like this is an opportunity to highlight the acceptance of the queer community by Canadians, and to raise awareness of other countries where queers are still discriminated against."
The proposed program for the festival includes an opening ceremony with a parade of nations, an international human rights conference, a wall of remembrance in honour of the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and an exhibition and networking fair. The event will also include a gathering of all Pride Toronto's former international grand marshals, an AIDS candlelight vigil, and three parades (a Trans March, a Dyke March, and the Pride Parade).
"All the usual aspects of Toronto's Pride Week will remain, such as the Family Pride and FreeZone [an alcohol- and drug-free environment], and world-class entertainment and performers will appear on multiple stages during the festival," Singh said. "Planning for World Pride will begin immediately."
Pride Toronto marks its 30th anniversary in 2010, and the organization is planning to introduce a year-round calendar of events, including a Halloween Party at Cawthra Park on Church Street on October 31 and Winter Pride at Mont Tremblant from February 4-7.
